Bangkok, Thailand (BBN) – The United Nations telecommunications agency concluded their annual conference on Friday focusing on new business opportunities to sustain growth in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry.
‘New Generation, New Values’ was the theme for Telecom Asia 2008, organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Bangkok.
“This week has seen enormous energy focused on ITU Telecom Asia 2008, shedding light on the issues which confront the ICT sector – issues which we sought to explore through the notion of new generation, new values,” ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said, according to a UN press statement.
Dr. Touré added, “Business opportunities flourished within the exhibition and at high-level exchanges with ministers. It is evident that win-win public/private partnerships are a reality.”
The Asia-Pacific region has made remarkable progress in recent years. It now has over two billion telephones, including 1.4 billion mobile phone subscribers, and over 40 per cent of the world’s internet users. It also has the world’s largest broadband market – some 39 per cent of the global total – as pointed out in a new report released this week, according to the statement.
During the conference, which began on September 2, ministers from the region discussed the future of the enormous ICT sector, and dialogue with industry and business leaders focused on investment, the market environment, government and industry interests, as well as the future of public/private sector partnerships.
The conference also tackled issues related to the needs of the “connected” generation, including the regulatory environment for next-generation networks, security, privacy and trust in cyberspace, greening ICTs and new business models for the sustainable growth of ICTs, the statement added.
BBN/SI/SI/AD-06September08-12:48 PM
